Vaccines and Autism James Strelecki, Kevin Miller, Jaren Peterson King’s College, Wilkes-Barre PA Point Vaccines are not harmful to children. The mainstream scientific community has stated that there is no link between vaccines and autism. Counter Point In today’s society there is a large debate as to whether or not vaccines are beneficial and safe to give to children. The problems surrounding this controversy was a study done by Andrew Wake Field, a British gastroenterologist, who published the Lancet Paper in which he hypothesized that “the measles virus caused a leaky gut, sending toxic substances into the bloodstream and, ultimately, the brain.” (Gross, pg. 1) This study has not only created a stir within the scientific community but it has caused many parents to be afraid to have their children get vaccines because they fear that there may be a link to autism. Some notable figures have come out and said that they believe that vaccines and autism may be linked. People like actress Jenny MaCarthy, who believes her son’s autism may have been caused by vaccines. A recent study which was published in the journal Pediatrics showed that one in four parents are concerned that vaccines can cause autism. Results Conclusions Introduction A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened of them microbe, its toxins or one of its proteins. In 1796 a scientist by the name of Edward Jenner discovers the first true, effective vaccine when he discovers that cow pox was effective in killing small pox. As the years have gone by scientific discovery has lead to the production of many more successful vaccines. The numbers show that there have been many successful vaccines that have saved the lives of many people of the years, yet, key events in the past decade has caused many irrational fears that have caused parents not to have their children vaccinated. Works Cited Gross, Liza. "A Broken Tust: Lessons Fromt He Vaccine- Autism Wars." PLoS Biology 7.5 (2009): 1-7. Print. "Home | Autism Speaks." Autism Speaks. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr Miller, Lisa, and Joni Reynolds. "Autism and Vaccination-The Current Evidence." Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing 14.3 (2009): Print. Rope, Kate. "The End of the Autism/Vaccine Debate?" (2010): 1-5. Print. Doctors today would strongly recommend that people should get their children vaccinated. The reason why diseases like Polio and Measles are rare are because they were eradicated thanks to immunizations. Due to recent fears that vaccines lead to autism many parents have been afraid to get vaccinated. This has lead to a comeback with diseases like whooping cough and measles and they have been deadly in some cases. Point 18 Controlled epidemiological studies have investigated the possible connection between autism and vaccines, and “they have all come back showing the same thing.” There is no link between vaccines and autism. Counterpoint: Mainly two kinds: methylmercury which gains toxicity through food chains and ethymercury which can cause neurological damage. In response to FDA’s new findings, the AAP issued to give kids less exposure to mercury to help make vaccines safer. But, many parents believed environmental factors were behind the rising rates of autism see vaccines as the obvious environmental exposure. In 1983, infants were vaccinated against several diseases; having a total of 26 shots by age two which made parents suspect vaccines are the problem. By June 2007, parents of nearly 5,000 children with autism sued for compensation under the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). Statement for Autism Speaks: “Many studies have examined possible links between vaccination and increased prevalence of autism. This research has paid particular attention to the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, vaccines containing thimerosal and the total number of vaccines administered during early childhood or any one doctor’s visit. These studies have not found a link between vaccines and autism. It remains possible that, in rare cases, immunization may trigger the onset of autism symptoms in a child with an underlying medical or genetic condition. Autism Speaks is funding studies on the underlying biology of autism, including studies to better understand medical and genetic conditions associated with autism. Autism Speaks also funds research on associations between autism and a wide range of nongenetic, or environmental, factors – including vaccination history. We strongly encourage parents to have their children vaccinated for protection against serious disease.” Future Work Today doctors are trying to find a cure and a cause for autism. No current evidence shows that there is any relationship between autism and vaccines. Researchers have identified that A number of rare gene changes and Mutations associated with autism. According to Autismspeaks.org, A growing body of research suggests that a woman can reduce her risk of having a child with autism by taking prenatal vitamins containing folic acid and/or eating a diet rich in folic acid (at least 600 mcg a day) during the months before and after conception.